Makenzie Smith is a remarkable fourteen year old girl whose dream is to have enough coats to distribute to all the at need population in the Louisville Metro area. Makenzie’s Coat Closet has now collected and distributed over 14,000 coats, thousands of hats, gloves and scarves for those in need. Makenzie started her mission as a second grader and has continued to meet the needs of our area’s less fortunate.

On Friday November 1, 2013, Makenzie along with five other remarkable children from across the nation was presented their awards at a special dinner and awards ceremony at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

The mission of Makenzie’s Coat Closet is to ensure that the less fortunate have a means to ensure that they have a coat to keep themselves warm.

The Power of Children Award is a natural extension of The Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which takes visitors on a journey through the profoundly difficult lives of 20th century young heroes Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White.

Each recipient of the Power of Children Award will receive a $2,000 grant courtesy of the Kroger Foundation to continue his or her extraordinary work, a four-year post-secondary scholarship to a participating institution of higher learning Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the University of Indianapolis, and Butler University and they will be recognized in the museum’s The Power of Children exhibit.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. For more information about The Children’s Museum, visit www.childrensmuseum.org, follow us on Twitter @TCMIndy, Facebook.com/childrensmuseum and YouTube.